meet a maker monday

Please introduce yourself …
Hello my name is Chantal and I AM a sockaholic. I also run Hotdog And Me, a place where all the lonely sock puppies come looking for a new and loving home.

How would you describe your work / style?
I make sock dogs...I know, that sounds ridiculous! But I love making them and I love how they all have their own personalities...I promise I am not crazy.

Who, or what, inspires you?
My family do, I know that sounds cheesy but its true. Particularly my mum and my late nan Betty. I come from a crafty family :)

Where can I buy your work?
At the moment my main focus is on the wonderful Folksy but I am just starting out over the pond as well on Etsy.

hotdogandme folksy shop
hotdogandme etsy shop

Do you have a website or blog address?
Yes, we like to do features on what Hotdog gets up to, new puppies that arrive and also people sometimes send in photos and stories of their puppies.

http://hotdogandmerock blog

How did you learn your craft?
I taught myself from a book and then went off and created Hotdog.

How long have you been creating?
I have been creating all my life but Hotdog has been going since June 2009.

Is there any other craft skill you would like to learn?
I am a classic hobby jumper, I have tried loads, mastered some, failed miserably at other (notably resin - my hat goes off to all the resin magicians out there, I think they are amazing). I would love to learn photography.

Anything exciting planned for 2010 you’d like to share?
Now THAT would be telling!

Have you had any work featured in magazines/books/galleries?
Nope not yet but if anyone wants to ........

If I wasn’t doing this, I’d be …
Going crazy, crafting is very good for the soul.

Describe your proudest moment.
The birth of my 3 beautiful children.

What do you do to relax?
Make socks dogs :) Read, long bubble baths, eat way too much.
Marmite … love it or hate it?
I am an enigma, I love and hate it depending on the day.

What animal would you be, and why?
An otter, just so that I could look at all the other cute otters all day.

What’s your weakness?
Since giving birth in August it seems to be Chocolate! But I also have an obsession for vintage buttons.

How do you keep motivated?
It is really hard sometimes, I am not getting much sleep at the moment so don't always feel like sewing. For me the best thing is not to put too much pressure on myself, it's better to want to do something rather than feeling pushed into it.

What do you wish you’d known when you first started out?
How to plan better.


What advice would you give to someone just starting out?
I have 2 pieces of advice:

1 - There are a lot of very helpful people in the forums (especially on Folksy) that are willing to give a lot of useful advice......TAKE IT, I learnt a lot from them.

2 - You have to promote yourself, you can't expect people just to find your shop amongst all the others out there, there are millions of talented crafters out there and you have to SHOUT at the top of your lungs about your beautiful items.

What question did you hope to be asked but didn’t?
Can I buy 1 milllllion sock dogs?

What would your answer have been?
Why yes of course.

thanks for taking the time to chat chantal, i absolutely love your sock dogs - and you're right, each one does have it's own personality, every time i look at your pics it brings a smile to my face :)